Bottle dispensing apparatus



July 22,, 1947. CARLSQN 2,424,303

BOTTLE DISPENS ING APPARATUS Filed May 10, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INV ENT OR. Angus? C ar/son TTORNEY.

July 22,1947. ACARLSQN 2,424,303

BOTTLE DI SPENS ING APPARATUS Filed May 10, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 1NVENT(5R.' I 1 414 4/57 Car/50 7 ,4 TTOENEY.

Patented July 22, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 12 Claims.

The present invention relates to vending machines, with special relation to vending apparatus of the coin-control type, and aims to provide improvements in the construction of vending machines designed for use in connection with bottled goods or similarly shaped merchandise.

One of the special objects of the invention, therefore, is to devise an improved construction of apparatus of this character, both as regards the arrangement or storage of the articles (such as bottles) within the machine, and also as regards the mechanism for vending, or dispensing, the said articles from the machine by means of the vending operation.

Accordingly, one feature of the improved construction is the provision of a container or magazine structure in which the bottles or the like are stored in horizontal position and in vertical stacks in a plurality of radial compartments from which the bottles are successively extracted and removed by means of vending or dispensing mechanism at the bottom of said magazine structure, and delivered to the exterior of the apparatus.

Another important feature of the invention is a novel and efficient type of vending or dispensing mechanism, of the coin-control type, which operates to successively discharge the contents of one of said radial compartments until the same is empty, and thereafter shifts the dispensing operation to another, or an adjoining bottle compartment, and thereafter continues the same dispensing operation until the contents of all the bottle compartments of the machine have been exhausted.

It is further sought to provide a construction which is especially well adapted for the refrigeration of the goods to be vended, and in which the supply of the goods or merchandise may be readily and conveniently renewed, as required.

It is moreover sought to devise an improved construction of efficient design which is adapted for economical production, and which may also be readily assembled and installed in complete operative relation in the finished apparatus.

With the foregoing general objects in view the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrating one form of embodiment of the proposed features of improvement, after which those features and combinations deemed to be both novel and patentable will be particularly set forth and claimed.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view of a bottle vending apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention and representing a section taken on the line l-I of Fi ure 2;

Figure 2 is a sectional plan View of the sameas indicated by the section line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view as represented by the section line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional elevation showing the discharge or bottle delivery outlet from the machine;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail sectional elevation showing one type of partitioning structure for separating the bottle compartments of the bottle supply or cage construction;

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view of the same, as indicated by the section line 66 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a detail sectional elevation, illustrating a modified form of the partitioning structure for the bottle compartments of the bottle magazine or cage construction; and

Figure 8 is a detail inverted plan view showing a portion of the drive mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the invention is illustrated as embodied in an apparatus adapted for the vending of soft drinks of the character sold in bottles which are kept in a refrigerated state and vended from the machine by means of dispensing mechanism adapted to be operated in response to coin-control means of any practical type adapted for the control of the vending operation.

Accordingly, the improved vending or dispensing apparatus is illustrated as comprising a cabinet l2 constructed with appropriate insulation material l4 and having a front panel or door It hinged at [6 and affording access to the main interior space H of the cabinet for the purpose of installing and servicing the bottle supply and mechanism as hereinafter described.

The means for maintaining a supply of bottles containing the beverage to be vended comprises a cage or magazine structure for providing a plurality of radially arranged bottle compartments in which the bottles are stored in vertical stacks, as represented in Figure l.

The bottom of the cage or magazine structure comprises a circular plate 20 formed with suitable reinforcing ribs 22 and 24 on its upper and lower faces, respectively, and also having a central hub portion 25 which is keyed to a vertical operating shaft 26. The upper end of said shaft is journaled in a bearing structure 21 supportedcentrally of an open or spider frame 28 suitably secured by fastenings 3c in the upper portion of 3 the cabinet space I! (see Figures 1 and 2), while adjacent to it lower end said shaft is journaled in a bearing structure 3| provided centrally of a fixed base plate 32 which is secured within the lower portion of said cabinet space (see Figure 1).

The upper face of the plate 20 is formed with bottle supporting ridges 33 and 35 in spaced relation to each other and of different heights, the outer ridge 33 being the lower, for engagement with the larger diameter of the bottle, and the inner ridge being higher for supporting the neck of the bottle, whereby the latter is carried in substantially horizontal position when the bottles are stacked on the plate 20, with the cap ends of the bottles pointing inwardly or toward the shaft 26, as illustrated in Figure 2.

For maintaining the bottles in separate vertical stacks, a plurality of radial compartments are formed by the following construction. A tubular member 3! is mounted for rotary movement on the shaft 26, upon which said tubular member is journaled by means of bearing structures 38 at the opposite ends thereof, at which points flanged plates 40 are secured to said tubular member as a means for the anchoring of the inner ends of two sets of spacing bars 42; the outer ends of each set of spacing bars 42 are secured to upper and lower hoops or bands 44, as shown in Figures 1 and 2there being the same number of spacing bars in each set, which are moreover arranged in alinement over each other and according to the number of bottle compartments to be formed.

These spacing bars 42 form the supports for the partitioning means for maintaining the bottles separated while in their vertically stacked relation. For engagement with the reduced neck portions of the bottles, spaced tubular elements 46 of oval cross-section, ar provided, with the upper and lower ends of said elements 46 slotted for forking over the corresponding upper and lower bars 42, to which they are suitably welded.

For engagement with the other end portions of the bottles, similar tubular elements 4'! and 41' are provided, which are adapted to be positioned at right angles to the elements 46 in order to hold the bottles in place, i. e., against any longitudinal shifting movement. However, provision is also made for allowing every other tubular element 41' to be given a quarter turn (as represented in Figures and 6) to facilitate the insertion of the bottles into stacked relation, as when the bottle supply is to be replenished. For this purpose, the tubes 41' may have their upper and lower ends provided with plugs 48 and 49 respectively, which plugs are bored for sliding engagement with guide pins 50 carried by bracket elements 5| and 52 which are slotted for forked engagement with upper and lower bars 42 respectively, and welded thereto, as clearly illustrated in Figure 5.

The lower brackets 52 are formed with recesses 54 at right angles to each other for locking engagement with lugs 56 on the lower plugs 49 in either of the quarter-turn positions adapted to be occupied by the elements 41' as above explained and represented in Figures 1, 5 and 6; and the length of the elements 4'! is such as to allow sufiicient vertical play on the guide pins, as required for disengagement of said lugs and recesses and to permit the quarter turn movement of said tubular elements 41. Coil springs 58 are interposed between the upper plugs 48 and corresponding brackets 5|, to permit said vertical play and also to maintain the lower ends of the tubular elements 41' in locked relation, when in the position illustrated in Figure 1.

All of the bottle compartments provided by the above-described cage structure are designed to b filled with the exception of the bottle space or compartment which is to be initially positioned at the extreme front or discharge or delivery point of the apparatus (as later explained) and when the remaining bottle compartments are filled, the magazine or cage structure is fastened or latched in position, ready for the start of the vending or dispensing operation, by pins 62 or the like mounted in fixed brackets 64 located in position for engaging one of the bands or hoops 44, thus serving to hold the magazine or cage structure stationary throughout the dispensing operation.

Below the plate or disk 20 is provided a rotary bottle conveyor or carrier for receiving the bottles (as they are admitted to said carrier through an opening 68 in the plate or disk 20), and convey'ing said bottles to the discharge or delivery outlet, as hereinafter described. This conveyor or carrier comprises a hub member 66 journaled on the shaft 26 by means of a pair of bearing structures 61 positioned between a pair of spaced collars 68 and 69 of said shaft (see Figure 1). The upper end of this hub device 66 is provided with a flanged plate 10 to which is secured the inner ends of a set of radially extending spacer bars 12 (equivalent in number to the number of each set of bars 42), having their outer ends secured to a band or hoop '|4see Figure 3. The conveyor or carrier thus provides a set of bottle receiving openings or spaces of the same number as the bottle receiving or storage compartments; and while occupying the bottle spaces provided by the bars 12, the bottles are supported by a fixed horizontal plate or partition 16 having a central opening I1 surrounding the hub member 66 and also having a bottle delivery opening 18 communicating with an outlet passage 19 located over an inclined chute at the front of the apparatus.

This outlet passage is provided with an outwardly opening door 82 (faced with suitable insulation material 83), which is maintained normally in closed or shut position by a suitable spring 84, but is adapted to be pushed open by the bottle moving down the chut 80 on to the exterior shelf 85 which carries a stop or abutment 86 provided with a suitable cushioning pad 88 for engagement by the bottle as it drops through the delivery passageas illustrated in Figure 4.

It will be understood that the bottle supporting plate or disk member 20 remains stationary while the bottles are being dispensed from a given bottle compartment of the magazine or cage structure by the intermittent rotation of th -conveyor or carrier devicethe outlet opening 60 of the said member 20 being in register with the bottom of the particular bottle compartment from which the dispensing action is then taking place. When the bottles from that particular compartment have all been received by the conveyor or carrier device, said plate or disk member '26 must be shifted in order to register its opening 60 with another bottle compartment, to prevent any interruption of the bottle dispensing operation. Accordingly, the drive mechanism for producing these necessary movements of said plate or disk member 20 and of the conveyor or carrier device will now be described.

The lower end of the shaft 26 is provided with a gear wheel 93 keyed to said shaft and forming part of what is termed commercially a Geneva gear assembly-said gear wheel being actuated by a drive wheel 95 which is secured to a drive shaft 91 and provided with a pin or roller 98 for engagement with the marginal recesses 9d of the wheel 93 (see Figure 8) and imparting thereto a partial rotation for each complete rotation of the drive wheel 95. The shaft 9! is of course adapted to be driven by any conventional type of motor (not shown) and the operation is designed to be so controlled by conventional coin control mechanism (not illustrated) as to produce only a partial turn of said shaft, or sufiicient merely to effect the discharge of just one bottle into the discharge chute 19, for each operation of said coin control mechanism.

The upper end portion of the shaft 97 is journaled in a bearing structure I09 supported by the plate 32 (see Figure 1) and also designed to operate a gear H32 which meshes with a pinion H33 carried by a spindle HM journaled in bearings Hi5 which are also supported by the said plate 32. This pinion I63 in turn meshes with a gear wheel 1 67 which is secured fast to the lower end of the hub member 66 for the purpose of actuating the bottle conveyor or carrier device simultaneously with each partial rotation of the drive shaft 9?.

From this it will be seen that the bottle supporting plate or disk 29 and said carrier or conveyor member are rotated in opposite directions (as represented by the arrows in Figure 3), but that the bottle carrier or conveyor moves once for each bottle dispensing operation, while the plate or disk 20 moves only in unison with the dispensing operation which discharges the last bottle from a given bottle compartment.

To make ready for operation, all the bottle compartments of the magazine or cage structur are filled with the bottled goods (with the exception of one of said compartments, as hereinafter explained), which preparatory operation is attended to by opening the door 15 to the apparatus and removing the pins 62 for releasing the cage structure and allowing it to be turned for bringing each of the bottle compartments to the front of the cabinet for filling. In this filling operation the spacing members 41' are given a quarter turn, as previously explained, to facilitate the insertion of the bottles, and then turned back into position at right angles to the spacing members 3%, whereby any casual longitudinal shifting movement of the bottles is prevented. The bottle compartments are all filled with the exception of the one which is initially positioned over the bottle discharge opening 18, and the dispensing operation is started with the opening 60 of the bottle supporting plate or disk 29 moved to the next stopping position past said discharge opening '18, which of course allows a bottle to drop through opening 8!] into the carrier, ready to be dispensed; the magazine or cage structure is then latched in stationary position by replacing said pins (52, as illustrated in Figure 2.

Assuming that the dispensing operation starts with the opening 59 of the plate 20 in the position illustrated in Figure 3, a bottle from the corresponding bottle compartment will have dropped into the bottle carrier or conveyor; so as a result of the first operation of the coin-control mechanism for producing one operation of the bottle dispensing mechanism, the drive from the motor will operate through the gears H12, H33 and Ill? to rotate said conveyor the angular distance necessary to roll and drop the bottle through the opening 18 on to the chute 80. At the same time the gear wheel will be given a slight partial rotation; but as said wheel 95 makes a complete rotation only onc during the time necessary to discharge all the bottles from one compartment, no rotary movement is imparted to the gear wheel 93 (which depends on engagement of the pin or stud 98 with the recesses 94 of said wheel 93) except once for each complete rotation of the wheel 95, and then only to the extent necessary to rotate the plate 20 sufiiciently to position its opening 60 below the next adjoining bottle compartment, i. e., in bottle-discharging relation thereto.

Consequently, successive operations of the coincontrol means first dispenses all the bottles from a given compartment, and then the plate 20 is automatically shifted by the described Geneva gear connections to start the dispensing of the bottles from the next adjoining bottle compartment, and thus with no interruption of the bottle dispensing operation.

As the bottles are received by the conveyor or carrier device from the several bottle compartments, the ibOttles are of course rolled upon the upper face of the supporting or partition plate 16 from those compartments on around to the I discharge opening 18 in said plate 76. Since the emptying of all the compartments still leaves conveyor or carrier still with a supply of the bottles, the dispensing operation will then continue in the same intermittent manner to discharge the remainder of the bottles one by one from the conveyor.

The apa-ratus is of course designed for appropriate refrigerating action, and accordingly the construction shown is particularly adapted for carrying out the necessary air circulation, as permitted by the open character of the magazine or cage structure and its supporting means, including the provision of apertures 45 in the plates 26, 4e and 16, as illustrated.

In Figure 7 is shown :a modified form of the partitioning means for separating the bottles of adjoining stacks. In this modified construction, I use sets of tubular element-s 41" for engagement with the larger ends of the bottles, these tubular elements 41" being forked at both their upper and lower ends for fitting over the bars 42 of the cage structure, and welded thereto. However, the sides of these tubular elements are suitably recessed adjacent to their upper ends (corresponding to the tops of the bottle compartments) as indicated at 33; and, if desired, they may be similarly recessed at one or more lower levelsthis recess construction being for the purpose of providing clearance for the widest portions of the bottles when the latter are being inserted, for refilling the bottle compartments. This modified form permits the reloading of the cage structure by allowing the bottles to be inserted by way of the recesses 43 at some distance above the plate member 20, and then lowered into place-said recesses being so located as not to come directly opposite the bottles after they drop in place, since the unrecessed portions of said tubular elements 47" thereafter serve to retain the bottles against any longitudinal or outward movement. This form of construction is of much simpler design and of course elminates the necessity of making any provision for turning out any of the tubular elements, as before explained in connection with Figures 5 and 6.

It will thus be apparent that I have devised a practical and highly efficient design of apparatus which is adapted to fulfill all the desired objects of the invention, as hereinbefore stated. Besides being of a character easily adapted for effective refrigerating action, it will be noted that one important feature of the improved construction is the fact that the whole magazine or cage structure is not required to participate in the movements of the dispensing operation, but only the carrier and the bottom plate or closure member 20 are involved in the dispensing action, and the latter only in the shifting of the dispensing operation from one to another of the bottle compartments. It is also apparent that all the parts of the construction are readily accessible, when necessary, from the front of the cabinet, and thus all repair and refilling operations are facilitated to a maximum degree.

While I have illustrated and described what I now regard as a practical and desirable embodiment of my proposed improvements, I desire to be understood as expressly reserving the right to make all changes and modifications which may fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 7

Having thus described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An article dispensing apparatus of the character described having an article discharge passage and comprising: a vertical shaft, a magazine or cage structure rotatable about the axis of said shaft and having a plurality of radial compartments each open at the bottom and accommodating a plurality of stacks of articles to be dispensed therefrom, means for latching said structure in fixed position during the dispensing operation, a bottom closure member having an article outlet opening and rotatable to control the discharge of the articles from the respective compartments, means operating about the axis of said shaft for transferring the articles one by one from said outlet opening to said discharge passage, and means acting through said shaft to shift said bottom closure member into a different control position as the supply of articles is exhausted from each of said compartments,

2. In article dispensing apparatus of the character described, a magazine or cage structure having a plurality of article compartments to accommodate stacks of the articles in horizontal and superposed relation, said cage structure including vertical partitioning members between said compartments, certain of said partitioning members being rotatably mounted and having an elongated cross-sectional shape maintaining spacing engagement with adjacent stacks when said last mentioned members are in one position but swinging clear of said stacks when given a quarter-turn from said first position.

3. Vending apparatus of the character described having an article discharge passage and comprising: a Vertical shaft, a stationary cage structure having compartments each open at the bottom in radial relation to said shaft for accommodating the articles to be dispensed in vertically stacked relation, a bottom closure member having an article outlet opening and secured to said shaft and rotatable thereby for controlling the discharge of the articles from the respective compartments, article dispensing means operable about the axis of said shaft for transferring the articles one by one from said outlet opening to said discharge passage, and driving means provided with gearing for actuating said dispensing means and also with gearing for periodically actuating said shaft to shift said bottom closure member into a different control position as the supply of articles is exhausted from each of said compartments.

4. Vending apparatus of the character described having an article discharge passage and comprising: a stationary cage structure having a plurality of radial compartments each open at the bottom and holding the articles to be dispensed in vertically stacked relation, a bottom supporting plate formed with an article outlet opening and rotatable for controlling the discharge of the articles from the several compartments, said plate being formed with annular supporting ribs of different heights for accommodating irregularities in the shape of the articles whereby the latter may be stacked in substantially horizontal position, means for transferring the articles one by one from said outlet opening to said discharge passage, an means acting automatically on completion of the dispensing operation from any one of said compartments to shift said supporting plate for positioning its article outlet opening into article-transferring relation to another of said compartments.

5. Vending apparatus of the character described having an article discharg passage and comprising: a vertical shaft, a stationary cage structure having compartments each open at the bottom and in radial relation to said shaft for accommodating the articles to be dispensed in vertically stacked relation, a bottom closure memher having an article outlet opening and secured to said shaft and rotatable thereby for controlling the discharge of the articles from the respective compartments, rotary article dispensing means operable about the axis of said shaft for transferring the articles one by one from said outlet opening to said discharge passage, and driving means including a Geneva type gear mechanism having connections to said shaft for periodically shifting said bottom closure member into discharge relation With said compartment successively and also having a reverse drive connection to said dispensing means for rotating the same in a direction opposite to the rotative movement of said shaft.

6. Vending apparatus of the character described, comprising: a vertical shaft, a stationary cage structure having a series of compartments each open at the bottom and in radial relation to said shaft for accommodating the articles to be vended in vertically stacked relation, a bottom closure member having an article outlet opening and rotatable with said shaft for controlling the discharge of the articles from the respective compartments, a horizontal supporting member located below said cage structure and provided with a delivery opening, a skeleton conveyor or carrier member journaled on said shaft for rotative movement between said cage structure and said horizontal supporting member for transferring the articles from said first opening to said delivery opening, and driving means provided with gearing for actuating said carrier member for emptying the articles from any one of said compartments and also with gearing for periodically actuating said shaft to shift said closure member into different control positions as the supply of articles is exhausted from each of said compartments.

7. Vending apparatus of the character described comprising: means providing an article compartment open at the bottom and holding araides to be dispensed in vertically stacked relation, a bottom supporting member having an outlet Opening and formed with spaced supporting portions of different heights for accommodating irregularities in the shape of the articles whereby the latter may be stacked in substantially horizontal position, and means for shifting said bottom supporting member for efiecting dispensing operation of the articles through said outlet open- 8. Vending apparatus of the character described having an article discharge passage and comprising: a stationary cage structure having a plurality of radial compartments of bottle shaped or approximately triangular cross-section and each open at the bottom and holding the articles to be dispensed in vertically stacked relation, a :bottom supporting plate formed With an article outlet opening of corresponding triangular shape and adjustable for controlling the discharge of the articles from the respective compartments, means for transferring the articles one by one from said outlet opening to said discharge passage, and drive connections arranged in a substantially horizontal plane and rendered operative on the completion of the dispensing operation from any one of said compartments for shifting said supporting plate to position said outlet opening into article-releasing relation to another of said compartments.

9. Apparatus of the character described having an article discharge outlet and comprising: a stationary magazine or cage structure having a plurality of radial bottle-shaped compartments each open at the bottom and adapted to receive and retain a stack of bottle-shaped articles in horizontally superposed relation, a rotatable bottom closure member having a correspondingly shaped article outlet opening for controlling the discharge of the articles from the respective compartments, a rotary article dispensing means for transferring the articles one by one from said outlet opening to said discharge outlet, and drive connections arranged in a substantially horizontal plane and acting automatically on completion of the dispensing operation from any one of said compartments for rotating said bottom closure member in a direction opposite to the rotary movement of said dispensing means and thereby shifting said closure member into articlereleasing relation to an immediately adjoining compartment.

10. Vending apparatus of the character described having an article discharge passage and comprising: a stationary cage structure having a plurality of radial bottle-shaped compartments each open at the bottom and adapted for holding the articles to be dispensed in vertically stacked relation, a rotatable bottom closure member having a correspondingly shaped article outlet opening for controlling the discharge of the articles from the respective compartments,

a rotary article dispensing means for transferring the articles one by one from said outlet opening to said discharge passage, and drive mechanism arranged substantially horizontally and operative to rotate said dispensing means for discharging all the articles one by one from any one of said compartments and periodically rotate said bottom closure member into articlereleasing relation to another of said compartments.

11. In article dispensing apparatus of the character described, having a discharge or article delivery opening, a magazine structure having a plurality of bottle shaped compartments each open at the bottom and containing the articles to be vended, a bottom closure member having a correspondingly shaped outlet opening and movable for locating said opening in outlet relation with the bottom of any one of said compartments, means for removing the articles one by one as they traverse said outlet opening and conveying the articles to said article delivery opening, and drive connections arranged in a substantially horizontal plane and operating periodically to shift said closure member to relocate its outlet opening in outlet relation With the bottom of another of the article compartments.

12. Dispensing apparatus having an article discharge passage and comprising a fixed container structure having a plurality of bottle shaped compartments each having a bottom opening and holding the articles to be vended in vertically stacked relation, a bottom closure member having a correspondingly shaped outlet opening and movable for positioning said outlet opening in outlet relation successively with the several compartments, means for transferring the articles one by one from said outlet opening to said article discharge passage, and drive mechanism arranged in a substantially horizontal plane and operating automatically as each of the compartments becomes empty to shift said closure member to reposition said outlet opening in registering relation with another compartment.

AUGUST CARLSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 523,826 Young July 31, 1894 1,546,077 Hunter July 14, 1925 2,044,998 Smith June 23, 1936 1,175,357 Jaeger Mar. 14, 1916 1,680,238 Baker Aug. 7, 1928 

